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For Health Care Providers
Health care providers play a vital
role in helping reduce the number of unintentional
prescription pain medication overdose deaths in
Washington State.
You can help improve the effectiveness and safety of
prescription pain medicine use for chronic pain
- Use the
brochures to educate patients about
how they can prevent an overdose.
- Familiarize yourself with the
following rules and suggested
guidelines:
General Pain Management Rules
Information
- Follow the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention's
Guidelines for health care providers:
- Use prescription pain medications
for acute or chronic pain only after
determining that alternative therapies
do not deliver adequate pain relief.
The lowest effective dose of
prescription pain medicine should be
used.
- In addition to behavioral screening
and use of patient contracts, consider
random, periodic, and targeted urine
testing for prescription pain medicine
and other drugs for any patient less
than 65 years old with noncancer pain
who is being treated with prescription
pain medicine for more than six weeks.
- If a patient's dosage has increased
to ≥120
morphine milligram equivalents per day
without substantial improvement in pain
and function, seek a consult from a pain
specialist.
- Do not
prescribe long-acting or
controlled-release prescription pain
medicines (eg., OxyContin®, fentanyl
patches, and methadone) for acute pain.
Below are
links and additional information for
healthcare providers.
Tools for
Assessing Function and Pain:
Drug Abuse Resources:
Methadone-Related:
Pain Management
Guidelines and Rules:
Other Resources:
CME Opportunities:
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